Contents

History

Early Life

Adam Brashear is a former fullback at Cornell University who graduated magna cum laude, and a veteran of the Korean War, a member of the Marine Corps with two Silver Stars. While in the Marine Corps he met Conner Sims, the friend he would later know as "Anti-Man". Brashear later became the project lead on a scientific attempt to harness anti-matter through the creation of a "Negative Reactor" which created a bridge between the Negative Zone and the positive matter universe itself. [2]

This reactor would then allow for an almost unlimited source of clean energy by allowing devices to tap the energy generated by a stable event horizon balanced between these positive and negative universes. Due to the unexpected explosion of the reactor, both Brashear and Sims were subjected to mutagenic radiation generated by the then unstable event horizon. While Sims' body disassembled into energy, Brashear became a stable "antimatter reactor" and developed a set of superhuman abilities. [3]

Blue Marvel

In 1962 Adam received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President John F. Kennedy on the day the President asked him to retire; it had been discovered by the public that he is an African-American. As the Blue Marvel, Brashear wore a full-face helmet - but when it was damaged in a battle, his identity was revealed. A massive controversy ensued as the America of 1962 was too racist to accept a black super-man. The President reluctantly decided to ask Brashear to step back. Torn between myriad considerations, the Blue Marvel conceded.[4]

He came back for one final mission and defeated the herald of an alien armada bent on enslaving the Earth. After that fight, he left the Medal of Freedom in the Blue Area of the Moon, where he first met Uatu the Watcher. His conversation with the Watcher was interrupted by the late arrival of the alien armada and he defeated them. The United States Government used this final mission to fake his death. The government later sets up S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Marlene Frazier as Brashear's monitor under the cover name Candace. Frazier eventually became his lover, his wife and the mother of their two children. Brashear later became a tenured professor of physics at the University of Maryland.[5]

Mighty Avengers (1970's)

In November 1972, Adam joined an earlier version of the "Mighty Avengers" a team formed by different people who came across each other while investigating the murder of a were-bat.[6] When The Bear revealed the Deathwalkers led by Lichidus were behind this, the team officially formed to take them down. Kaluu tracked down the black magic used in the were-bat to a secret subway station below the City Hall. The Mighty Avengers then attacked the Deathwalkers before they could make their sacrifice. After Blade recovered the Talisman of Kamar-Taj, which was required to perform the sacrifice, Adam caused the subway to collapse above the Deathwalkers. With the Deathwalkers stopped, the team disbanded.[7]

Anti-Man

Connor Sims, the Anti-Man, was a radical who, partly because of his history with Adam Brashear, violently hated racism (himself, incidentally, being Caucasian), and in his power-fueled insanity sought to eradicate it, and probably humanity right along with it. When Anti-Man returned and defeated the Avengers, Tony Stark (Iron Man) tracked down Brashear and with the help of Reed Richards they come up with a plan to stop Anti-Man. After a surprise confrontation with Sims on the moon, Brashear was left unconscious. Later an extended fight with Anti-Man resulted in Candace Brashear's death. At the conclusion of their battle, Brashear took Anti-Man up to the edge of the ionosphere and siphoned off his remaining "anti-matter energy" which caused his waveform to permanently decohere and collapse.[8]

Afterward, Brashear returned to action as a full-time superhero. After a discussion with Uatu the Watcher, he traveled to Uzbekistan to help the Winter Guard subdue the extra-dimensional King Hyperion.[9]

Blue Marvel vs King Hyperion

Fear Itself

Blue Marvel was exploring the Neutral Zone when he returned and discovered a submarine lodged into Kadesh, his undersea base. Both the Chinese and American forces blamed the other, and they seemed on the brink of war. Blue Marvel managed to save his anti-matter samples from being exposed to water, and relations between the Chinese and Americans returned to normal. Though Blue Marvel was left wondering how a submarine got into his Kadesh, he soon discovered that the sea dragon that was guarding the Serpent's undersea prison was responsible for sending a submarine into his base. [10]

Mighty Avengers

Blue Marvel was seen with Uatu at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. After a one-sided conversation,[11] he took up his costume and flew through Shuma-Gorath's head. He was able to heal Spectrum, who had been incapacitated by Proxima Midnight's spear. He was able to boost her powers temporarily, and was among those Luke Cage declared Avengers.[12]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Anti-Matter Energy Absorption: Theoretically, it seems to be the main source of Blue Marvel's power. This source of power is the energy released from anti-matter which derives from the inter-dimensional universe called the Negative Zone. Anti-matter is the same as normal matter except that the sub-atomic particles are the opposite charge.

Therefore, anti-matter and normal matter cannot coexist without exploding. CERN recently made the first particles of anti-matter...apparently kept in a magnetically charged vacuum to keep it from coming in contact with normal matter. Nuclear fission releases energy with 1.5% efficiency; anti-matter releases energy with 100% efficiency. One gram of anti-matter contains the same energy as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. One droplet could power New York City for a full day. Adam Brashear is the first human anti-matter generator and reactor. The experiment he gained his powers from renders his form unaffected from anti-matter.

Superhuman Strength: Blue Marvel possesses vast levels of superhuman strength. He was seen as capable of effortlessly lifting the 1960 era's American warship 'Enterprise' [2] which weighs over 93,000 tons [14]. The Blue Marvel is capable of greater feats of strength as when he easily moved a meteor "easily the size of Arkansas." [2]

The Watcher states that Adam is capable of splitting the moon into two with a blow[15]. He was able to directly engage Iron Man, Ares, Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel in combat at the same time and casually overpower them. [16] He even managed to ultimately defeat in physical combat the monstrously powerful King Hyperion, who had slaughtered the heroes of multiple worlds (including the Hercules, Thor and Galactus of his own Earth[17], as well as the Sentries, Hulks, Thors and even Eternals of others[18]) and even overpowered the combined might of his counterpart Hyperions of Earth-712 and of Earth-5764.[19]

Nigh Invulnerability : The Blue Marvel has survived a hydrogen bomb blowing up in his hands unfazed [20]. He is capable of withstanding blows from a large collection of superhumans made up of Ms. Marvel, Ares, Iron Man, Wonder Man, and Sentry unharmed. Blue Marvel can also breathe and survive in space [21].

Flight: Blue Marvel flies by manipulation of gravitons, manipulation of magnetic fields, control of his absolute molecular movement, and utilizing his superhuman speed. Blue Marvel can fly far beyond supersonic speeds. He has been seen flying into space unaided under his own power[15], Thus Adam is capable of reaching speeds of at least escape velocity (7 miles per second).

Superhuman Speed: Blue Marvel is capable of moving vastly faster than any normal human being, and he is able to move fast enough to keep up with the Sentry.

Superhuman Reflexes: Blue Marvel reflexes are similarly heightened and are superior to those of the finest human athletes being capable of catching bullets and dodging projectiles.

Superhuman Agility: Blue Marvel's natural balance, agility, and body coordination are enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Stamina: Blue Marvel's enhanced musculature is far more efficient than that of a human. As a result his muscles produce no fatigue toxins thereby granting him theoretically unlimited stamina.

Healing Factor: Despite his nigh invulnerability to injury, it is possible to injure Blue Marvel. If injured, his body is capable of quickly repairing damaged tissue with much greater speed and efficiency than the normal human body.

Energy Pulse: Blue Marvel can release all of his body's anti-matter energy as a massive omnidirectional pulse of devastating power.

Energy Manipulation: Blue Marvel was able to re-arrange the photons in Spectrum (Monica Rambeau's) body to stop the anti-photons from destroying her body and made her stronger and more powerful, strong enough to take down a tiny shadow of Shuma Gorath.

Abilities

Adam Brashear is a genius in the field of theoretical physics and has made extraordinary strides in the study of antimatter. He has been trained by the US Marines in armed and unarmed combat.

Brashear is also a highly talented football player though he is out of practice.[citation needed]

Strength level

Class 100+, Adam is capable of lifting far in excess of 100 tons easily. He is stated to be in the same league as the Sentry, Hulk, and Thor [23]. Namor also stated that the only other who have hit him as hard as Blue Marvel were Hulk and Thor.[24]

↑"As long as I'm writing the character, he won't be so strong that he makes other characters look foolish. He is just in the same league as the Hulk, Thor, Superman, Sentry, Orion, J'onn J'onzz, etc. He's NOT above them." Interview with creator Kevin Grevioux